A Different Beginning (Continued)
by WildAshChronos
Summary: Meet Talida Corrie Edmonds. Given up as a baby by her parents because of a danger she wasn't told of, she was adopted by a family in Jasper, Nevada, only to have her adoptive parents die, and leave her to the foster system, where she lives with a couple by the names of Neisha and Gareth. Meanwhile, she meets the Autobots, and tries to keep secrets from everyone. Especially them…
1. Author's Note

**Author's Note - Just Some Stuff Before We Get Going**

**Hey ya'll! **

**So, nobody here knows one single thing about me, or why, so ironically, this story is called A Different Beginning! Unless you're physic, which I would probably freak out at.**

**No coincidence actually! Icegirl2772, you know, the one who own Talida Prime and her story, A Different Beginning, which was last visited when put up for adoption? Now, stop me if I'm getting this wrong, but she said that she and Halo were extremely busy, and had a lot going on… right? Well, since they put it up for adoption, I, AshRiderChronos, had decided to mosey on over and PM Ice and ask her and Haloangel21, if I could adopt their story! **

**Right?**

**AND… They. Said. YES!**

**So, you might just say; eh, this is so not worth it. I only like Ice and Halo's writing. Heck, I don't even know who this chick is! She could be a serial killer for all I know! **

**Sorry to disappoint you, but just for the record, I'm not. **

**Anywho, they both gave me the Okay and so here I am, clarifying that 1) Talida Corrie Prime/Edmonds IS NOT MINE. She is not my OC. She. Is. Ice's. OC. 2) The original prologue, first two chapters, and two authors notes are going to stay on Ice's profile, but the story will be updated on mine, continuing from where the two of them left off on Chapter 2. **

**Strictly from here on, these are MOSTLY my ideas and thoughts, with some input from Ice and Halo wherever they see fit, also seeing as how they started the story with plans of their own, and I'm just moving it along and filing in the blanks. **

**The really big blanks…**

**So if you found this Author's note, and see this starting on chapter 3 instead of a prologue, I need you to just search: "Icegirl2772" in the author search engine, and read A Different Beginning, and then you'll continue reading this.**

**Not too difficult am I right? **

**Now, for those of you on the mobile site, you sbould know that every document begins with a title that won't be obscured as just Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 When they really are an author's note, Chapter 3, and Chapter 4, just to make it easier for you all. **

**Those of you on the computer or tablet will be able to see the normal settings, so we'll be good. **

**I would also love love love to do review replies like Ice did, just so I can answer your questions like she always answered yours, and so I can get to talk to you and get to know your opinions, thoughts, ideas, and personalities! Of course, if you don't review, I understand. I'm not Ice, or Halo, and I don't expect to be treated as such. **

**I'm WAC, and proud of it ;)**

**So, if you like what I have to offer, or want to just complain about me being not Ice or Halo, or even just want to ask a question, I'll reply as myself, without telling you too much about things to come. Because once upon a time, there was this thing called foreshadowing which is to get your mind thinking and to help you connect the dots as a story takes you along its own wild path.**

**Now, you all mosey on over and enjoy the rest of your day, seeing as how I'm wrapping this author's note up in a jiffy. Or, if you're up really late because you wanted to see who the heck this strange new author is that apparently is taking over this book you've been looking into, sleep well, and get your rest. We both know you need it. **

**See you all later!**

**-Wild Ash**

**(Now, without further ado, Chapter 3 of ADB) **

**I'm so excited!**


	2. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Tired and fearful, the blue Autobot femme woke up suddenly from her restless recharge from the previous night. It was mainly because she had a nightmare about her daughter being caught, tortured and killed by the Decepticons while she stood helpless and unmoving the whole time, forced to watch every brutal moment of it all. Although, it did help to wake up in the arms of her sparkmate and feel the warmth radiating from his own body, to hers as he recharged peacefully, which was comfort enough for Arcee.

Pure and utter terror seized her spark as the dream flashed in her processors, replaying itself over and over again. It would be some time until Optimus woke up, and even more before she calmed down. It was like waking up as a Techno-Organic all over again. Which was no fun… that is; until they discovered that they were having Talida. Which was a joy in its own right, but sadness soon replaced it, and now she just had to impress her daughter. What with the double distraction of Cliff's death, and the revealing of Talida once again in a time of danger, so she had completely lost her concentration, thus, resulting in her injury.

Of course, her daughter may or may not like her and Optimus at all, which would break both their sparks. But that wouldn't happen… Would it? Nevertheless, she seemed… physically wore down, and tired, but she was as sharp and clever as ever, or so she could only assume. Knowing nothing about her daughter other than the fact that she was alive and had a friend named Jack Darby didn't help the situation. Then again, when she had cursed upon seeing the Vehicons again, Talida seemed startled, and a brief look of recognition appeared on her face for just a moment, and Arcee refused to believe otherwise.

After all, she was her mother, the very person who brought her into this world, and she'd be dammed if Talida didn't at least think she felt familiar. Then slowly, trying to unravel herself from the protective embrace of her sparkmate, without waking him up, but she must have move too quickly or too suddenly, because he yanked Arcee back towards his form, before nuzzling her neck affectionately, while still in recharge. She had to admit, as frustrating it was to have her efforts wasted as she tried to gain a little bit of freedom, it was nice to know that her sparkmate would always try to protect her, even if he was asleep.

Just another reason for her to love her SparkMate even more than she already did… if it was possible. Optimus was just so… perfect. Although he really had to stop blaming himself for what happened. It wasn't his fault, and he knew that, yet he let the guilt eat him up anyways. But when Arcee had to clean herself up so that she would looks presentable when meeting and actually talking to her daughter in a matter that didn't involve trying to get her and her friend to safety so that they stayed alive, the overprotectiveness was a slightly annoying trait, even if only for that moment. She would have to wait awhile, that was for certain, but she wasn't going to have to wait to see her daughter for much longer.

She wouldn't stand for it.

—

Meanwhile, said daughter was sneaking out the front door of her foster home, gently shutting the door behind her, before bolting down the sidewalk as fast as she could, backpack bouncing and it's contents jumbling wildly. Last night, coming home late, her foster father had caught her coming in late and had chucked a bottle at her. Unfortunately, unlike earlier that day it hit her in the head, it's glass pieces shattering and some of the larger ones sticking in her skin, cutting through her flesh and allowing her blood to flow in what seemed like an uncontrollable manner, satisfying her foster father as she laid on the floor in pain, the impact having knocked her off her feet.

Once he had left after antagonizing her, she slowly got up to her feet once again, washed the cuts in the bathroom and pulled out the shards of glass, despite how much her head ached after the bottle had hit her. She fell asleep the moment her face hit the pillow, and the instant she woke up, she parted her hair so that it fell over her face and hid the new gashes. She would have to wear her hair like this for awhile, that much was sure, despite how much she thought it was annoying.

Now, Talida was hurrying out of there before Neisha and Gareth saw her and decided to unleash their anger upon her… again.

It felt awful to not be known that she was loved. Heck, maybe her parents didn't love her but had to seem like they did so the government didn't hunt them down and make them take her back. Regardless, it was her stupid parent's fault, whether she was an accident, unwanted, or they were stupid enough to get themselves in trouble. Whatever the reason, no matter how many times she thought about it, Talida couldn't help but be upset, and even more so confused. It was best to just try and forget they ever existed in the first place, right?

The train of thought continued all the while she was running to Jasper High, hopefully being able to get some homework done she hadn't been able to finish the night before for Honors Bio class she had first thing, and maybe her Honors Geometry homework too… Thank God she hadn't had any homework from her honors humanities classes for a change. Gym was the same old as always, and her favorite class… Journalism was going just as it always did, and she loved that about the class. Her natural ability with patterns and color coordination skills were traits that made designing her school magazine, newspaper, and yearbook a breeze. She was only a freshman, but her skills, dedication, and creativity helped her become the chief editor for all three of them.

She arrived at school early, around 7:30, and dashed inside, heading for the library, and allowing nothing to stand in her way. It was going to be a long sixty minutes. That was for sure.

—

For whatever reason, Talida had never realized that Jack Darby, that 16-year-old boy everybody talked about, was actually really very nice, but he was just misunderstood. And, walking out of school alongside him, talking about some stuff she hadn't understood about the quadratics she was learning. However, when she noticed Jack look over at something, she followed his gaze looking for anything that might have caught her attention. There wasn't anything super important over there, except for the little kid who had his toy car crushed by the giant robots they had seen the day before, Raf.

Jack looked from Talida to Raf, who waved at Jack excitedly, and then his gaze shifted back to Talida again. "I'll take care of this… see you around I guess?" He asked, and when she nodded, however reluctantly, he hurried off towards the wildly grinning Raf. Meanwhile, Talida looked around for Miko, who was actually just at the bottom of the stairs, sitting on the railing. Talida grinned, before sitting by her best friend,

"Coolest. Bike. Ever." Miko gushed, and Talida looked around wildly. Bike? What bike? There weren't any- oh. That bike. The blue and pink motorcycle parked, right in front of the school, sitting there, and doing nothing.

"HEY, STOP!" She heard Jack call out, before whipping her head around to see her newfound friend standing in the middle of the road, with his hand held out as if he could reach out and grab whatever, or whoever left. Assumingly, Raf, because he was no longer there, and Talida was seeing that Jack was the kind of person that would be that concerned over something like that, which yet again, was just another good personality trait he had.

Her gaze fell to the blue motorcycle Miko was freaking out about, and didn't even acknowledge her because of it. It was also the blue transforming robot motorcycle in disguise. Sure, it was kind of cool, but why the robot was nice to her, and now… stalking her, was beyond Talida's reasoning. Seriously though. Her voice was familiar.

Like, really familiar.

So she pushed herself off the ledge and walked over to the still motorcycle, staring at it skeptically. Deep down, she really wanted to trust it for whatever reason, but a larger part of her was screaming, 'Are you freaking crazy? Girl, you're usually exceptionally bright, but right now, you're just plain stupid! This is a talking robot fighting other robots, and from what you saw yesterday, is losing, badly! And, it's stalking you. Ever wonder why it was at KO Burger yesterday? Or here right now?'

Meanwhile, Arcee was watching as Talida stared at her. Was she going to say anything? Or was she going to take after her father and argue with herself until she believed she had found a rational solution to the current situation. Whatever she was going to do, Arcee was taking Talida and Jack to base, regardless of what her daughter decided to do. Knowing that this was probably a really bad idea, she summed up her courage before saying that one word that might screw up everything. "Hello."

And much to her relief, Talida stayed perfectly calm.

"So it is you. I was just wondering if there was another motorcycle like you, or something equally crazy like that. I tend to overthink things sometimes." She replied calmly, crossing her arms and leaning against the yellow metal pole beside her. Truthfully, her trusting side, for once, was winning out. Whoever this robot chick was, Talida was going to know what the hell was going on, and then make her decision. It was the most rational route to take. "So, you going to tell me what's going on? I'd really like to know I'm a target or something." She said snarkily, half joking, half serious. She hadn't been kidding when she said that she overthought things a lot of the time, which was sometimes a good thing, and others… not such a good thing.

Arcee wanted to transform and squish her daughter in a hug, but refrained herself, and just started her engine instead. "Hop on." She instructed, and reluctantly, seeing as how Miko was preoccupied, Talida swing her leg over the seat and clutched the handlebars. Jack was kind of long gone, so what was the harm in leaving? But of course, this robot probably had eyes in the back of her head, and before she realized what was going on, Arcee had pulled up in front of Jack in a back alleyway.

"Relax. I just want to talk to you." She said, and Jack scoffed as Talida climbed off Arcee.

"Don't you mean you and your new friend?" Jack demanded, looking at Talida in disbelief.

Arcee sighed. "Look kid. There's lot you don't understand." She said, hoping that he would be as lenient as her daughter, but the back of her processor told her that it was not so.

"No, I get it. First rule of robot fight club, don't talk about robot fight club." He said sarcastically. "What you don't understand is that I don't want a bunch of giant robots, running out, trying to get me killed!" He snarled, gesturing wildly as he raved on and on about things he didn't even understand. Her gears shifted, and with the sound of shifting metal, Arcee, in all her Cybertronian glory, was crouching behind Jack.

"Look." She said, plainly and simply. "Jack, is it?" Arcee asked, and upon a confirmation from Talida, she turned her attention back to the raven-haired Darby in front of her. "Your safety is exactly why Optimus Prime has requested your presence!" The Autobot femme exclaimed in frustration, trying to get the point across.

It didn't work.

"Wait, Optimus who?" He asked, and Arcee was ready to scream. Could he really be this oblivious?

"DUDE!" Another female voice attracted their attention to a Japanese looking girl with her hair back in pigtails with pink dye at the ends. Miko. "What are you waiting for?" She demanded. "Go with!" The Japanese girl encouraged him, and Arcee was stunned for a brief moment before swearing,

"Scrap."

—

"WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!" Miko yelled at the top of her lungs, the noise almost deafening to both Bumblebee and Arcee, while leaving all the other human's ears ringing as they all cringed.

Once again, Jack had his own smart-alec remark to another person's action, but more so directed towards Arcee. "And why did we bring her?" He demanded, growing less fond of the girl more and more with each passing minute.

Arcee wasn't liking Miko very much either. "Rules," was all she said bitterly, before focusing her attention on her silent daughter. Talida wasn't coursing with joy, she wasn't bitter; she was taking after her father. Calculating and lost in thought with nobody able to pull her out of her trance. Arcee shook of the feeling of distaste that Talida had when it came to them, but it was still unnerving. But maybe she was just being paranoid? Either way, Arcee was growing more and more concerned.

Ahead of her, Bumblebee went off the road and towards the giant desert mesa before them. Arcee sighed, and summed up the last of her horsepower, speeding up and focusing all her will on not toppling over while carrying three humans, which was a whole lot more difficult than just going around Jasper with her Sadie holoform. Something she had to get used to unless Bulkhead decided to take Miko and Jack off her list of responsibilities, which would be a welcome relief.

"Wait, what? Woah!" Jack cried out, and Arcee scoffed. Jack was becoming more and more obnoxious too, but was still nothing compared to Miko's obnoxiousness. She ignored Jack's cries of protest and focused on her daughter, who only slightly tensed, and out of habit, reached for something around her neck. The necklace her parents gave to her.

A large metal door opened, revealing a tunnel into the desert mesa, which both the Autobots headed through, the giant doors sealing them in from behind. The two 'Bots slowed down the further they went down the tunnel, before pulling into a large hangar, where two more 'Bots awaited their arrival. Bulkhead and Ratchet watched the newcomers arrive along with their teammates. All four of them clambered to their feet, and the two 'Bots gears shifted until they were standing as full height Cybertronians.

"I thought there were only three." Ratchet said dryly, looking at Arcee for an explanation.

"Haven't you heard?" She asked, equally annoyed. "Humans multiply."

Talida was watching everyone and everything with extreme interest, eyes widened and looking around to take it all it, while Jack couldn't help but gape at everything, and Raf looked around, a cheeky grin on his face.

He looked up at Ratchet curiously. "I'm Raf." He said, introducing himself to the red and white mech.

Miko, on the other hand, recovered from her shock quickly, and it was instantly replaced with excitement. She ran over to Bulkhead and looked up at the green Wrecker.

"I'm Miko!" She exclaimed. "Who're you?"

"Bulkhead." He said hesitantly, the human's lack of fear a bit startling.

"Are you a car? I bet you're a truck! A monster truck! Do you like heavy metal? How much do you weight? Ever use a wrecking ball for a punching bag?" She blurted out as fast as she could, not bothering to take a breath in between sentences.

Raf on the other hand, while still in awe, was calmer. "So if you guys are robots, who made you?" He asked innocently, continuing to look up at Ratchet intently.

The medic scoffed and looked down at the twelve year old unknowingly genius, and retorted bitterly. "Pu-lease." He said, not too fond of the human, as well as all the others Arcee and Bumblebee had brought to base, at all.

Thundering footsteps, or so they seemed to the humans, shook the ground and Miko hurried over to where the other three stood, looking at the approaching Cybertronian in awe. Optimus Prime.

And, upon seeing the girl with the exact appearance of her mother, his spark skipped a beat, startled, but recognizing his daughter silently, although easily. Getting right down to business, and covering up the mess he was pretty sure Ratchet had made when it came to their relations with the humans, and more so Talida, who hadn't said much of anything. "We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron. Also known as Autobots," he explained, discreetly giving Ratchet as much of a sour look as possible without making it noticeable.

"Why are you here?" The raven-haired teen asked, stepping forward bravely. Strangely, the action seemed both familiar, and foreign to the Prime who watched him boldly approach someone who could easily do him harm.

"To protect your planet from the Decepticons." He said simply, trying to divert his attention from Talida.

"Why are they here?" He pressed, and Optimus finally managed to pry his attention towards Jack.

"A fair question Jack." He said truthfully, wording his next few sentences carefully. "In part; they are here because our own planet is uninhabitable, ravaged by centuries of civil war." He explained.

The youngest of the group, Raf, who had been listening as intently as Talida was slightly confused. "Why were you fighting a war?" He asked, wondering what possibly could've caused the destruction of a planet and centuries of war.

"Foremost, over control of our world's supply of Energon, the lifeblood of all Autobots and Decepticons alike." Optimus said, before deciding to provide a brief description to sate their interest, while still sparing their feelings. The combat was fierce and endured for centuries. In the beginning, I fought alongside one whom I considered a brother. But in war, ideals can be corrupted. And thus, Megatron lost his way," He concluded, watching the group of humans take in what he had just said.

Miko, spoke up instead of Talida, and nobody appreciated her comment. She sighed before asking dryly; "Is there going to be a quiz?"

Talida, whose voice he still hadn't heard, glared at Miko, before she finally said something. "So, what does Megatron, or any of this, have to do with us?" She demanded, looking up at him skeptically. She had her mother's attitude. That was for sure. She seemed like she was dissing someone, when she wasn't, and this was no different. He could tell. But her voice was amazing, gentle, soft, and angelic all in one, while still sounding strong and forceful.

Truthfully, if he had been asked this question yesterday, before CliffJumper's spark was extinguished, he would've struggled to find a solid explanation. But that was not even remotely the case. "Megatron has not been heard from or seen in quite some time." He admitted. "But if his return is imminent, as I fear," Optimus paused. "It could be catastrophic."


	3. Chapter 4

**I don't have a brain. **

**It truly is that simple. **

**This was SUPPOSED to be up two or so weeks ago, but nooooooooo, I didn't think to check the DOCX INBOX.**

**Sorry everybody… Lol**

**Anyways, it's FINALLY here, and I have learned a valuable lesson. USE. MY. BRAIN. **

**Now that my writer's block has been defeated after months of deadly combat between myself and this treacherous foe, I wrote this, and passed it through Ice and Halo, got the okay from Halo, and then I sat down. **

**And waited.**

**For two weeks. **

**To get the okay from Icegirl.**

**And then she messages me, and I don't see it for a long time. **

**And then I decide to check my docx inbox after a little bird tells me that she sent it to me with the okay. **

**TADAAAA. **

**Hey… I GOT REVIEWS? :D**

**Nov 8 c2 Guest**

**Please continue this story :)**

**Sorry, I aaaaaamm! Writers block… JUST DIEEEEEEEEE.**

**Sorry. Had to do that. Lol**

**Oct 18 c2 Guest**

**Please write more**

**I have done so! :)**

**anunexpectedjourney**

**... What happened? Why isn't their more? Did you give up? Don't tell me you did because you writing style is absolutely amazing! It fits perfectly with this story. Why on the planet of earth haven't you updated?! Why? Itsss sooooo good! Please,and I am being you, please update this, soon. Its really good...**

**Writers block happened, and… school + writers block = no time to try and break it.**

**I haven't given up and I won't! Promise :)**

**Although, I'm super glad you like it, and I'm really happy that you think my writing style suits the story! **

**What exactly do you mean by; Being me? Lol**

**Aug 2 c2 Guest**

**Please write more I'm dying for more different beginning! :)**

**Absolutely! Chapter 5 is looking great!**

**Jul 26 c2 Guest**

**I like this story please continue :)**

**Awwww, thaaaaaanks! I hope you'll enjoy what's to come!**

**2XxXSkylarxRatchet96XxX**

**Love it you did very well so far. I'm happy you adopted this story from Icegirl and Haloangel authors. Thank you for that I really wanted this story to continue and all. Icegirl and Haloangel are awesome authors and I bet you'll be with this story to. Keep up the good ideas and work on this story, and please continue it its good so far. :)**

**Thanks a lot! Sorry it took so long, the trials of a writer/person's life. Lol.**

**I know! I was surprised when it didn't, but I understood, ya know? When they put it up for adoption though, I was actually super hesitant to ask. It took me a LONG time to work up the courage to ask them about it.**

**Miko's flare here was a ton of fun, and I love doing things like this from time to time. Soooo much fun!**

**IceGirl2772**

**I like this a lot! :D**

**Thanks for letting me adopt it girlie! I know I said it a million times with way too much caps, but still! Thanks! :D**

**Oh, and sorry for my lack of brain XD**

**haloangel21**

**It looks great :) You're doing pretty good so far.**

**Hopefully the errors were caught and repaired, although I swear, if I missed them after looking over the edited version, I'M GONNA LOSE MY BRAIN AGAIN TO THE DEPTHS OF INSTANITY.**

**Kidding! I'll probably just lose it to my ego though, Lol.**

**Now, children, settle down. STORY TIMEEEEEEEE. **

**Once Upon A Time, in a Country far far away, there was a city know as Jasper…**

* * *

In the time during which Optimus had been explaining, Talida, who had been listening intently, felt incredibly conspicuous, as if every time she did something, someone there was watching her every moment suspiciously, and the hair covering the side of her face itched so much. But she wasn't about to let the Autobots or anybody else see the mark Gareth had left on her.

Optimus had moved from the GroundBridge entrance, his enormous feet had shaken the earth and pounded twice as loud as her throbbing head, to the area by the consoles with Bumblebee to the right, and Bulkhead behind Arcee, to his left, while Ratchet ignored everyone and worked on his stupid science crap that nobody else cared about.

Well, nobody else being Miko who had never liked the subject to begin with, who gave him a disgusted look every few minutes before scoffing, muttering something undecipherable under her breath and rolling her eyes. It was undoubtedly rude, and Talida didn't need to hear what she was saying to figure that much out.

But her head really hurt, and her thoughts were pretty sluggish, as if she had another concussion. Saying anything, let alone trying to process all of this and stay standing was quite the endeavour.

"And since you now know of our existence," Optimus's deep voice began, and the extreme loudness of his entire bass like voice made her head pound even more as it echoed in the large hangar. "I fear that, as of last night, the Decepticons know of yours." He concluded, and Talida resisted the urge to sigh in relief. It was over, finally…

But right beside her, Jack piped up, loudly. "Got it. If we see any strange vehicles, call 911." He paraphrased sarcastically. "Can we go now?" He demanded, and she glowered at him behind the curtain of hair covering her face. Did he have to be this loud?

Miko, on the other hand, had to pipe up too.

"Are you, insane?" She demanded, before turning her attention back to the Autobots. "I'm living a dream here in 'Bot'-swana," she said. "And I will not allow you, or anyone else, to shatter it!" Miko declared, pointing at Jack menacingly. She had a valid point; this was the only reason Talida hadn't decked her already. Normally she enjoyed Miko's bright spunky attitude when they hung out, but most certainly not with her throbbing headache.

"It is best that you four remain under our watch." The unwelcome baritone voice declared. "At least, until we can determine our enemies' intentions." He declared, and Talida uncomfortably resisted the urge to both brush her hair out of her face, and cover her ears to ignore everyone and allow herself to retain the sleep she desperately needed. The past 24 hours had drained her completely, and she practically felt like a zombie rising from the dead, weak as ever.

However, a certain respect was inspired in Talida when Ratchet spoke up, because he was much quieter than everyone else who had been talking. "Optimus," he began, his voiced hushed and not making her head hurt as much. "With all due respect, the human children are in as much danger here as anywhere." He protested, and Talida could've sworn that Arcee glowered at him, optics full of fire.

"Children?" Jack demanded, looking at Miko sceptically. He was almost 17 for crying out loud, with about a year before he was considered a legal adult and therefore, not a child!

"They have no protective shell!" He exclaimed, trying to reason with the upset Autobot femme. "If they go underfoot, they will go squish." He emphasized, stepping forward menacingly towards the group of four to prove his point. Warily, each of them stepped back in alarm, eyes wide and questioning. Needless to say, none of them wanted to be stepped on.

And of course, Optimus just had to go and respond. "Yay baritone." Talida thought sarcastically, although she listened to what he had to say anyways. "Then for the time being Ratchet, we must watch where we step." The Autobot leader advised, and no further protest came from his long-time friend, but mostly because the alarm on the monitors went off, spiking everyone's interest, and Talida's immediate hatred. She was not in the mood for anything loud.

Ratchet walked over, unconcerned, but Jack took the time to panic. "What's that?" He demanded, and Bumblebee took it upon himself to answer, knowing that Raf would translate.

Talida yawned loudly, stretching out, seeming uninterested. She was just really tired and very restless. Not the type of girl to stay cooped up for very long, lest she fall asleep in exhaustion due to her lack of activity. That was how she ploughed through. Sports, runs, the most elementary of exercises. They made her stronger physically, and it was the first step to an even stronger spirit. "Proximity sensors. They detect nearby objects, usually on the roof." He explained, and Talida halted in her stretching.

"Like a perimeter alarm or something?" She asked, and received two things. A nod of confirmation from Bumblebee, and stares from Jack and Miko. "What?" She asked, but they didn't reply. "What did I say?" Talida demanded, and Jack crossed his arms at her, with an eyebrow raised sceptically.

"It's not what you said, although I'm curious as to where you got that idea from now that you mention it. It's what you heard." Jack replied, but Talida shrugged it off.

"He was talking, I asked a question, big deal." She countered, her bitter mood coming to light as a result of her annoyed persona.

Jack shrugged it off, before turning to Raf for an explanation. "Proximity sensor." He said calmly. "Someone's up top." The 12 year old computer genius paraphrased, knowing that Jack wasn't like him at all, and knew next to nothing about this kind of technology.

"It's Agent Fowler." An annoyed voice said, informing Jack of the visitor's name before he could even ask. A live video feed from what the humans assumed was the rooftop showed a helicopter powering down, and another human walking out of the camera's sight.

Jack was instantly confused. "I-I thought we were the only humans who knew about you guys." He said, trying to remember if they'd mentioned this other human before. But they hadn't, so it was only natural to Optimus that he was baffled by the revelation. .

Optimus looked back at the four humans on the ground below, his gaze mostly focused on Talida… again. She seemed… worn down, and tired, but that was normal when it came to human teenagers. At least, that's what he'd heard anyways. "Special Agent Fowler is our designated liaison to the outside world." He explained, watching Talida look up at him, that lock of hair still covering the side of her face. He couldn't help but wonder if she always hid like that. "As he tends to visit only when there are… issues, it may be best that you do not meet him at this time." He advised, not wanting to get the humans, or his team, into even more trouble than they obviously already were. Fowler and he had less of a mutual understanding than the Autobot leader would've liked to have made happen.

The four of them hurried over towards Arcee, who he smiled sadly at. Agent Fowler could tend to be extremely rude, and he never looked forward to talking with the human, as he sometimes found himself insulted, alongside his team. He hadn't even so much as offered his condolences when they reported Cliffjumper's death the day before, and truly wondered if the human government believed that they deserved to have been stuck with him. The unwelcome sound of the elevator coming down to the platform where he usually made his appearance allowed Optimus a brief few seconds where he was able to reassure his bondmate and prepare himself for the grill of the liaison's complaints.

The doors opened with a hiss, revealing the retired Army Ranger, who was not happy. Ratchet and Bulkhead walked away, generously allowing their leader the opportunity to acquaint himself with the displeased man. "7 wrecks, 34 fender benders, a three hour traffic jam, and a particular note," The man began listing the problems, pausing merely to glare at Arcee and Bumblebee. "Numerous reports, of a speeding motorcycle, of unknown make. And a black and yellow custom muscle car." He added, before turning his attention to Optimus. The four humans had been peering out from their hiding spot, but received a silent scolding look from Arcee, and an alarmed look from Bumblebee which was all it took for them press themselves back against the wall, out of Agent Fowler's viewpoint.

"Anything you'd like to get off your tin chest, Prime?" He asked sarcastically, purposely insulting the Autobot leader before him. As always though, Optimus appeared unfazed by his cruelty, although his bondmate's anger surged through to him, and he did what he could to console her, before addressing Agent Fowler.

"We have the situation under control." He said simply, knowing that if he told the whole truth, things would not end well.

"They're back aren't they?" Fowler demanded, a defiant look on his face as he stared down the Prime.

Optimus almost vented heavily. He wasn't as discreet as he would've liked. "If you are referring to the Decepticons, I have doubts they ever left," he said remorsefully. "Your planet is much too valuable to them."

Fowler didn't like that. Not even remotely. "Then it's time to wake up the Pentagon." He said bitterly, not wanting to leave things in the hands of those who he so clearly despised, and didn't trust.

Optimus' spark instantly picked up the pace. No, there couldn't be any human involvement against the Decepticons, despite the Autobots' lack of firepower and being outnumbered. "Hear me, Agent Fowler," he began firmly. "We are your best, possibly your only defence against the Decepticons." He said, no ifs or buts about the matter.

A forced, cold smile appeared on the government agent's face, when he stared right into Optimus' optics. "Says you." He countered, but Bulkhead's equally unwelcome input cut in.

"Hey fleshie!" He called out. Gaining everyone's attention. "Did anyone get splattered on that pavement? Team Prime knows when to use force," Bulkhead began, grabbing a tool as he began to crush it. "And how much to use." He concluded, and with the sound of metal tearing, and a few electric sparks, the tool, was toast.

"Bulkhead, I needed that!" Ratchet cried out in frustration, and the other three Autobots shared quick glances, because they all knew where this was going.

"Enough!" Optimus cut in, not wanting Fowler to deem them unfit to work as a team and possible shut down their operations. "Military involvement will only result in human catastrophe," he said firmly. "Perhaps you can condone widespread casualties, however, I on the other hand, cannot." Optimus concluded, hoping that this would convince Agent Fowler of the fact that himself and his team could handle this.

"Then do us both a favour, and handle this." Fowler replied. "Under, the radar." He added, but one last thought came to mind before the doors closed behind him. "Or I will." The conversation ending the moment the doors shut a split second later. Bulkhead walked up beside Optimus looking at where Agent Fowler had just exited.

"Pretty big bearings." He said. "For a human," the wrecker added slyly, glancing at Optimus for some sort of agreement, or disagreement, preferably not the former.

He received neither. "Agent Fowler is concerned for his world Bulkhead." The Prime reminded his team member, and a painful thought came to mind. "As he should be." He concluded, before turning to the humans, who were prying themselves away from the wall and heading up the stairs to the balcony their last 'conversationalist' had vacated.

Talida, unable to hold back any longer, let out a long, loud, exhausting yawn. "I-I'm sorry." She said, trying to stifle it, but failing miserably. "I'm just really tired." She admitted, stretching out to try and keep herself awake, but the couch, heck even the floor looked incredibly appealing. Optimus snuck a worried glance in Arcee's direction… he had grown up with a techno-organic, and she never seem this tired, ever. "Is there anything else y-you n-need to talk about?" She asked, yawning again, the images before her swimming as a tear slipped out.

Optimus shook his helm gently. "No, there is not." He said gently, and Talida nodded, falling onto the couch and closing her eyes.

"Wake me up if you need anything." She mumbled, barely audible before she drifted off into sleep gratefully, the sounds and sights fading away as she easily found her peace. Unbeknown to the others, it was actually taking her a considerable effort to actually fall asleep, despite her exhaustion. It might've been her wariness of strangers, or the fact that she was always afraid to fall asleep nowadays, or maybe even the feeling of the unknown, but whatever it was, it faded, and she was lost to slumber soon enough..

Arcee walked over by her sparkmate to catch a glance at her sleeping daughter. She seemed a lot better than she had been standing up, what with her hair only partially covering her face now, eyes closed, and calm expression. Jack, walked over and pulled a jacket over her, at which Talida stirred, barely asleep, but she only rolled onto her side, trying to get comfortable.

A comforting servo rested upon her shoulder, and she leaned into Optimus' warm frame, still concerned, but happy that her family was there. Well… sort of there. It was complicated beyond reasoning, but it was still her family. She snuck a glance at her sparkmate, unsure of how he would act with the human children around, and a small smile in her direction confirmed her suspicions. He wouldn't go too far with them around, just for their sake, and so that their dignity remained intact around them. She was still tired herself, but unlike Talida, she didn't have a couch to collapse on.

But she did have Optimus to lean on.

Which was nice enough. She was just enjoying his company for the time being as Jack, Miko, and Raf all chatted away, being wary of Talida's apparent, much needed sleep.

Bulkhead and Bumblebee were conversing, talking about who knows what, and Optimus could only hope that Bulkhead wouldn't corrupt Bumblebee any further, as the war had done for so long. However, Bumblebee wasn't the only one who he was concerned about. His entire family was here, adopted, close friends, and blood related, and he worried about the wellbeing of all of them.

And Arcee was his main priority as of that moment. "You need not worry." He said softly, feeling his sparkmate tense slightly at the sudden interruption of the peaceful silence that had been lingering between them, but she relaxed soon enough. "It will all turn in the best direction at the end of everything. It always has, and it always will." His voice was gentle, trying to reassure his bondmate, but was uncertain as to whether he had succeeded or not. Arcee tended to stick to her beliefs rather strongly, and was constantly stubborn when it came to certain issues, her family being one of the top three on the list.

She sighed, unsure of what she had expected from her daughter. Certainly not this, but in a way, Arcee had hoped that Talida could somehow stay with them if things weren't perfect. It was a selfish, fleeting thought, but Arcee couldn't help but hope that one way or another, she could have her daughter back. The Autobot femme looked up at her lover, who had a hint of a smile on his face as he held her closely. She had always noticed that Optimus seemed to enjoy spending any kind of time with her, even if it was something simple like stargazing, a patrol together, or friendly commlink chatter. Although she wasn't immunize to his surprisingly captivating charm, Arcee was still extremely free spirited, and she most certainly didn't like the way things were going.

Her worry was understandable, but Optimus' seemingly lack of it was slightly getting on her nerves. This was their daughter for crying out loud, and she knew that the few weeks Optimus got to spend with her; he had loved Talida with every fibre of his being. So why wasn't he worried? A sudden rush of emotions from him startled the blue femme, and she nearly jumped out of her metal frame and had a spark attack all at once when he freely let her see the concern that was eating at his spark. The Prime was well aware of his bondmate's concerns and worries, and as much as he didn't want her to be troubled by his own ordeals, keeping certain emotions hidden from her was probably for the best. Such as his desire for another sparkling, but his hopes had been diminished when the three year period of zero Decepticon activity ended. Although letting her know some things could be beneficial occasionally. He was not one to keep secrets, but some things were for the greater good. Besides, they always had the time when the war ended, how could anyone forget?

Talida's steady, deep, yet exhausted intakes were easily heard despite the relentless conversing between the humans and members of his team alike, and it worried him, that despite her being asleep, she was still ever so tired. Arcee nuzzled his arm with semi-affection, and her bondmate responded by keeping her close, content with holding her until their attention was demanded by anything and everything else.

The moment of tranquillity was too soon interrupted when the alarms went off again, and in extreme frustration, Ratchet attempted to deal with the situation, but either forgot, or refused to reign his temper in when he tried to dismiss the signal. "Blasted Earth tech!" He swore, looking at the monitors with irritation. "Cliffjumper's life signal popped back online." He said, feeling the need to inform the other members of the team of the current situation.

"Who's Cliffjumper?" Miko asked, confusion practically seared onto her expression as she looked up at the Autobots questioningly. Although from what she could gather, their responses were hopeful, and they seemed to become even moreso alert, and eager. However, since her closest comparison when it came to the Autobots was technology, from what she could gather, "Life signal," and, "Backonline," it seemed like something had happened recently.

She glanced up at the picture on the screen as Optimus spoke. "How is that possible?" The Prime asked, and Miko's suspicious were confirmed. Something had happened to someone, and even the boss was interested, which was surprising. But as she payed attention, almost snooping, the Japanese teen caught Arcee almost fleetingly brushing her servo along the boss' thigh, walking past him and towards the Doc Bot.

"It isn't," He stated truthfully, obviously annoyed. "Another bug. The systems chock full of them."

But the snobby blue bot obviously didn't think so, because Arcee spoke up with eagerness and hope that Miko had doubted she was capable of. "If there's any chance that Cliffs alive," she began, knowing that she didn't need to finish her train of thought for the others to understand. Especially Optimus.

She's really got him wrapped around her metal finger. Miko thought, curiously wondering about why a snob like her would end up with the boss. Whatever the case, Miko disregarded it, and stuck her tongue out at Arcee discreetly, knowing she wouldn't be caught, not with her years of experienced practice messing with the boys who saw her as some kind of prize. Weirdos.

Wanting to one up the snob who she had caught staring at her best friend strangely, she called out trying to get Optimus' attention when she realized when they were. "Hey!" She yelled, and his gaze snapped to meet hers. "What can we do?"

Pondering the idea for a moment, his processor rejected it instantly. There was no way these humans, already Decepticon targets, would go with him to a battle zone. Especially with his team's skills obviously so rusty. "Remain here." Was all he said, doubting that his order would be defied. Surely these humans, and techno organic, valued their safety and would listen.

"Awwwww."

Miko was not happy with the idea of sitting around, and her ol' buddy Ratchet followed her example. "Awww."

"What a happy dude. I've always wondered how people walked around with sticks shoved up their backsides." She thought bitterly, watching him mess around with some stupid alien screens that beeped too many times a minute. "I'm glad I'm stuck with you too, Docbot. I'm so happy, I just can't be happy enough. So I'm just gonna stand here. And glare at you. And get on your nerves. Maybe I'll even break something like Bulkhead."

Ratchet gave her a look that could only be described as pure loathing, but Miko rolled her eyes at his ever so terrifying stare. "You can stick it, Docbot."

* * *

**DONEEEEE!**

**Hope this was enough to satisfy all of you, and dont worry, I've got more on the way :)**

**Thanks for reading everyone.**

**THANKS FOR HELPING ICEGIRL!**

**-Kay :)**


	4. Chapter 5

**... Bad words. Lots and lots of bad words.**

**I'm BACK-ish after three months... Yay? Maybe? I don't know...?**

**High school is really difficult! Like, insanely difficult. So difficult that I'd rather join this alien world ANY day rather than deal with all of this for FOUR YEARS. I mean seriously, come on people! **

**Mkay... I have no words, 'cept for this stuff that I may or may not have written when I had free time... **

**Meh, who knows?**

**HELLO. I CAN SPEAK. Who would like to converse with me?**

_**IceGirl2772**_

_**Please write more! :)**_

**APOLOGIEEEEEEEEES. Even if this is short... does it work? **

**_anunexpectedjourney_**

**_Yay! I'm glad you updated. I know that school and writers block can be really heard to deal with. I should know, on a different website I'm writing four stories. Its very heard to deal with, but all the same its very good. I liked this chapter very much. Also last time I commented I meant begging you not being you. lol my phone decided to be stupid. I hope you update soon! :)_**

**I was super happy too! And then my life decided to become mean and nasty, and I said: HEY! LETS DO ALL THIS STUFF AT ONE TIME! GENIUS! ...Yeah, NOPE! Not that smart. Thanks for understanding though, and I figured as much, because I'm not sure WHY you'd want to be me? IDK Don't listen to me, I don't even know what I'm saying! 3 months was a shorter time than 6, right? Dammit, I TRIED... **

_**haloangel21**_

_**I loved how you described Optimus and Arcee's inside emotions with one another. One parent worried for her daughter's safety and the other also worried, but forced to keep his composure calm for the sake of his teammates (and sparkmate and daughter) ;) **_

_**Your method of that keeps me glued to the screen and I now must bow down to your awesomeness. Well done ;) Looking forward to more!**_

**Yeah, I'm SUPER fond of the whole "get inside the character's head" writing rather than simply getting inside the head of ONLY a new character that spices up the spicy show. It's a miracle this show hasn't blown my head sky high with smoke coming out of every single part of my ears, I mean, seriously! **

**And um, my "awesomeness"? Do you have ANY idea how much I LOVE what you write? I mean seriously, my family has to like, get superglue remover every week because they're afraid that when I start reading, my eyes'll be stuck to the screen. Well, not really. Best not give them any ideas, now. Shall we?**

_**Megan :)**_

_**By the way my name is Megan and I too write a little of my own Transformers prime and might need some ideas**_

**_Please assist :)_**

**_Iment begging sorry it happends :)_**

**YO! MY NEW SMILEY FACE BUDDY! I'd love to help you out! What kinda stories? I play this writer's game called "Plot Bunnies" with some of my friends, and OHMYGOD, I'd love to assist! Lemme know, kay?  
**

_**Awyra**_

**_Hi! Would you continue this? It's so awesome! Of course I shall wait until the next chapter. (If you will continue, then XD) bad English, sorry :D_**

**Heeeeeeeyyyy! Bad English? Whatchu talking 'bout? It's totes fine, and better than some of my classmates' English, BELIEVE ME. Don'tcha worry 'bout it! I totally plan on finishing, even if it takes until the time I grow old and my brain falls out of the back of my head. Don't ask, I have a weird vision of my elderly-ness. XD Again, I am TRYING to be better about it, though it seems like this always gets extremely difficult. **

**AND IN THIS CITY OF JASPER...**

* * *

There were three things Talida first noticed when she awoke.

The first; the Autobots were gone, the hangar was empty, dead silent, even. Not even her friends were here, or… what was it? Ratchet, the grumpy old mech who had made a lasting impression on her. Strange. He has seemed too attached to his computer to move anywhere.

The second, it was incredibly cold for an open, carved into rock, alien base, located in the middle of the Nevada desert. Well, she wouldn't be taking Jack's coat off anytime soon, that was for sure. And if she squinted enough, she was able to see her breath, however faintly. Definitely too cold for the desert.

And third, the most important fact of the three observations made; The entire base was trashed. Rafters hung from the roof, bent and broken, the cement floor was cracked with pieces sticking out of the ground like the rising dead, and a giant piece of the roof crumbled, crashing to the floor with a loud, audible crash, causing the ground to shake and tremble fiercely. Dust was practically everywhere, and it was getting difficult to breathe in the ruined air.

Coughing, she waved her hand to try and clear the air, so that she could see, and actually breathe sometime soon. What had even happened? A better question, how the heck had she managed to sleep through something like this? Her confusion was a practically endless abyss as she stood up, pulling the jacket around her torso as tightly as she could without suffocating herself.

And her head still ached. Concussion did do that, and she'd had a couple before. But… nothing like this, even though she could feel it, which meant that she still had the concussion, even though it seemed like all of her surroundings were thousand of years ahead of the technology of the twenty-first century.

Her footsteps seemed a thousand times louder than they actually were, echoing in the broken, dark cavern as she carefully past the monitors which were sparking randomly, the sparks flying everywhere. She ducked under some of them, but when her foot planted itself on a rusty part of the ramp, and she heard the groaning and creaking of metal, instincts she didn't even know she had kicked in.

Talida jumped off of the ramp, crashing to the platform that was somewhat more supported than the last thing she had stood upon. But the creaking and groaning of metal was clearly audible as she slowly moved along the platform.

Her freezing hands gripped the opposites sides of the ladder, with her feet firmly planted on the uppermost rung. But a quick, sudden movement that was barely caught in her peripheral vision surprised her, and her feet slipped. Surprisingly enough, the girl's hands remained steadfast, and she slid down the ladder like a fire pole, landing on her feet, in one quick, solid motion.

The shock that inevitably should've hit her after performing something her weak, fragile, weary body shouldn't have been able to do was all but nonexistent. The possibility of adrenaline made no sense. She would have only sprained a wrist, nothing too major would've happened if her reflexes hadn't kicked in, so she hadn't been in any really serious life or death danger. But just as Talida began to try and think more rationally, the scene shifted, and she was 20 yards away from where she had just been standing, looking directly at the latter.

Alright then… that was weird as slag. It was almost as if she'd blacked out… and her subconscious or something else completely ridiculous had kicked in. This wasn't normal, not by a long shot. The Autobots go mysteriously missing, the base looks thousands of years further into the future, and like it's been through Hell and back, and now I'm losing my grip on time? She thought nervously, looking around to make sure she was really alone. "Hello?" She called out, and her voice echoed across the empty cave, growing quiet, just like a normal echo. Nothing wrong with the physics of this place; at least the sound, lighting, gravity, and air were all in proper working order. Or, so she thought.

"Hello?" A soft, hushed voice whispered in her ear, startling Talida and sending her three feet in the air; alarmed. But it got louder, and louder, speaking as if there was something wrong. "Hello?! HELLO? _HELLO_!" The voice screamed, and a sharp cry of pain escaped her as she collapsed, trying to block out the voice, but it only got louder until it shrieked louder than anything she'd heard before, rattling every bone in her body and straining her every muscle. "**_HELLO_**?" It shrieked, before it slowly became softer, soon going away completely.

Breathing heavily, and trying to keep herself from making anymore noise, Talida curled up on the ground, shaking in fear. _New rule_. She decided silently. _No more talking._ With that in mind, she slowly clambered to her feet, wincing as her ears rung painfully. Whatever that had been, it was freaking scary, and more painful than anything she'd ever experienced, including Gareth's blows. _Owwww_. She whined silently, tugging her ears to try and stop the irritating and painful ring. She didn't need to deal with that in the situation she was in, that much was certain.

But then reality slipped through her fingers, rushing away and blurring until it peeled off, slowly revealing a sight she would have rather not seen. A red mech slouched, looking down at something she couldn't see. His back faced her, and she didn't dare speak, not even as the purple glowing streaks on him glowed, pulsing violently as she walked closer. The whole pitch black abyss around them was terrifying enough, but things just had to get worse. A pair of piercing, red eyes appeared, darker than human blood. He looked at the red mech and then his gaze snapped to her.

"Servant." He began, almost curiously gazing with those sinister eyes he paused just long enough for her to see the Autobots' torn, dented, scratched, hollow eyed frames. "Kill it." The red meh lunged for her as she bolted up and screamed in terror, watching Jack, Miko, and Raf all look at her in an instant.

* * *

It took some time for her to calm, though it was at most, thirty seconds; she felt as if it took days for her deeply rooted terror to vanish.

"What? What is it?" Jack asked, warily looking at his friend's panting, terrified and shaking face. He slowly stood up to get closer to her, reaching a hand out to clasp hers. "Are you okay?" He tried, knowing her answer before she knew what she'd say.

Pausing, Talida pondered whether she should lie or not, but her resolve faltered. She caved in with a heaving sigh. "No, not really." She whispered hoarsely, clenching his hand with an iron grip as if she was determined to crush it. The pain didn't go unnoticed by Jack, that much was certain, but he didn't freak out like he normally would've. They already had Talida on the verge of breaking down, the Autobots didn't him flipping out about his poor pitiful pain tolerance.

Her hair was a mess. One big, ratty, messy disaster, tangled and snarled up in the back of her roots, meaning that it would be a pain to brush later, and it wasn't exactly the most socially appealing look, but who was he to judge? The last time he checked, the name Jack Darby was not very high up on the social food chain at Jasper High. For a comparison from his Bio class a few years ago: he was a producer. Everything he made, others stronger than him took, and it wasn't the most benevolent of feelings, that was for sure… Regardless, how could he judge Talida by her hair?

Gently, he reached over to brush it out of her eyes, but she stopped him, returning it to the way it was before she'd fallen asleep, hiding half of her face, again, he noticed. "I appreciate the gesture," she said softly, still slightly shaken up, "But I've got it; I'll be just fine on my own." she said, handing the his jacket back as she wrapped her own firmly around her torso. "Thanks anyways."

Ratchet came back from… whatever the heck he'd been doing to see the humans no longer asking the ridiculous questions they had been earlier, and leaving his equipment alone. Well, at least they'd learned fairly quickly. For a group of organic anyways. After all, Ratchet's natural intuition to feel superior to all those around him, Cybertronians included, because he knew he was smarter than all of them, and in some areas, he could outwit Optimus if he so chose, and despite Raf's brilliance, the young boy had a lot to learn. At least, that was what Ratchet thought.

"I'm glad to see you recharged well, youngling." He said, going about his business with the monitors as if he'd never even noticed the humans. But he couldn't help but be concerned that Talida's stress and anxiety levels seemed to be sky high. He didn't need to spare more than a quick glance in her direction to notice her disheveled look. They were almost the same as Optimus' were whenever something troubled him, or he'd gone too long without jumping Arcee. With the children around, that slagger might learn the definition of self-restraint. He thought hopefully, though he knew his leader too well for his own good.

Though with Optimus, he'd always find a way. It wasn't a secret that the Prime always had a plan, and it was always easily adaptable to any changes in their enemies' tactics.

But Talida's stress levels did not go down, for if anything, they seemed to worsen. Concerned, if only for the fact that he did not wish for Optimus to brutally slaughter him for not ensuring Talida's, and the rest of the human children's safety and well-being, he ran a quick, undetectable, but quite informative scan, on the human, and he found himself dumbfounded. "What in the name of Primus…?" He muttered, this time running a more complete and invasive scan, the results were worse than before, with less noticeable conditions made known to him.

"Talida," he said slowly, unsure of how exactly to phrase what he was going to say. What exactly was he going to say to the human femme anyways? Deciding on the more gentle approach, suspicious that this may have very well been an extremely delicate topic, Ratchet almost ruined his gruff, no-nonsense impression."Are you alri-"

But he didn't get to finish his inquiry, because Optimus comm-linked the base, requesting, or really demanding, a Groundbridge back. As he opened the portal to the Decepticon mine, his processor wandered, but not before he made a mental note to ask the injured teen about the many marks and cuts covering her. She had escaped his wrath for the moment, but not for much longer would her answers be hidden. After all, what fun would it be if he played by her rules?


	5. Chapter 6

**_That moment when you write the entire next chapter a day after you updated… and then you get busy and forget to post it all. Big oops… Lol_**

**_Thanks for talking or me though! I really am chatty! XD_**

**_haloangel21_**

**Ooh la la. And again, loving what you have so far. ;) I do plan to write more stories, but I've been plagued with a severe case of writer's block :P for a year now actually, haha. Your use of wording is amazing and they're, like, perfect for any situation in this story ;) much better than my own. **

**_Thaaaaaanks! And I'm totally looking forward to it! I completely understand long term writer's block. It's just terrible. Wording? Girlie, it just takes practice, and a lack of writer's block, but your stories are still WAY better, don'tcha worry 'bout it! _**

**_I just got hit w/ a basketball; ouch. Gym class… Lol_**

**_3luv4eva3_ **

**I can't believe that I forgot about this story! When I read the first two chapters Halo and Ice wrote, I made a little note that I would follow and favorite when I get my FF account. I can't believe I'm saying this. BUT I think you're writing this better than Halo and Ice THEMSELVES. I mean, I love their writing style and I would literally bow down to them for making such amazing masterpieces. But I feel that this story was just gifted to you to continue. Please update whenever you can! I'm looking forward to it!**

**_Forgot? Can't say I blame you! I went dark on the FFnet radar for too long, believe me… _**

**_I would too! You are not alone in your idolization of them! But I appreciate the kind words, I really do! I've still got a ways to go. _**

**_I've looked at your stories too! You're a really good writer too! I never would have thought up Flamewar's obsession, or the individual responses from each of Team Prime's members. Those were gifted to you._**

**_anunexpectedjourney_**

**AHHHH! I LOVE THIS CHAPTER! Your writing style is truly amazing! I hope you update soon, but no pressure. I know how bad school can get and how everything likes to throw itself at you at once. Although I'm really just lazy with my books. Haha this chapter was ssooo good! Keep up the good work!**

**_I just got with with another freaking basketball! The karma, I'm telling you! XD _**

**_I try to keep the story at the level of writing the original authors, and I'm glad to see that I'm succeeding at it! I try not to be lazy, I just procrastinate and that's when it gets super crazy. I wrote an entire essay all last night and had a mental breakdown while doing it! I do it to myself, so I guess we're lazy, just in different categories. Lol Enjoy the banter at the end! _**

**_Icegirl2772_**

**Writer's block. Whatcha gonna do?**

**Please update soon! I literally eat popcorn when I'm reading this**

**_Mmmmmm… I need to go home today and make myself some popcorn. We have our own popcorn machine in my house. Lol_**

**_Autobotlover56_**

**Please update sooooooon!**

**_Hey! It was only a month this time! #IMPROVEMENT! I'm really getting my mojo back, FINALLY! And I literally had to count the number of Os in your comment to get it right, XD. Copy and paste is being mean. Lol_**

* * *

_Guardians, huh? _Talida thought glumly, not looking forward to returning back to the house she lived in back in Jasper. As if this week could get any _worse_ for her. Talida knew that she'd have to face the wrath of her foster parents if they were still awake, and that was never pleasant, even when the social service agents were there.

At least, she would have to, unless she could somehow climb through a window into her small, cramped room without arousing the suspicions of any Autobots that followed her home, she'd have to go through the front door, which would be an unpleasant misadventure, especially if Gareth was drunk, or Neisha was awake and angry.

In all honestly, she could try find another path, but was it worth the questions her new _guardian_ would ask about her constantly climbing in at odd hours? Maybe she could say that her curfew was very early, but then she'd never be able to leave without arousing suspicion amongst the other people she knew that attended her school once this whole thing blew over. Maybe she say she was grounded…?

In reality though, she was, in a way, always grounded. Talida had no privileges, no free time, and certainly no tolerant and forgiving family at her house.

If she was honest, she didn't really have a home. Her foster house was nothing more than its name. An unhappy, violent house that was a sort of shelter for the foster girl without her allegedly "loving parents" who were in "great danger" that they wished to "spare her" from.

When, or rather _if_, really, she saw her parents, she'd slug both of them in the jaw, and probably break down into tears. Any dangers they could have been facing couldn't have been worse than the foster care system, or adoption! After all, they were humans, not Autobots who had to deal with the war, and Megatron's return; scourging for energon constantly, and losing comrades left and right.

No, her parents could have kept her if they wanted to, that much Talida was certain of.

"Ratchet," Optimus' regal tone snapped Talida out of her trance, and she looked at the medic abruptly. _The cranky medic, a guardian? _She wondered, not believing her ears. _Who's the poor soul that gets him of all the 'Bots?_

"Busy." He replied, irritated that Optimus had the gall to pull him from analyzing the grape jelly he had gotten from Arcee.

Sighing, Optimus shook his helm at his longtime friend and medic, but he did not feel that placing Arcee with their daughter after her emotional outburst would be wise. As much as he did love his bondmate, she would often say or do things that would be regretted afterwards, and he did not want to endanger Talida for any reason. He could only hope that the both of them might understand.

"I am afraid it will have to wait, old friend. Arcee cannot watch over Talida while protecting her own charge." He said, just as said femme walked out of the chamber she had just been in.

Her optics narrowed, and Talida watched as Arcee walked towards Optimus with a dangerous expression, scowling. "Wouldn't Talida and I bond better than Jack and I ever could? Femme to femme, right?" She said simply, and everyone but Optimus missed exactly what she was hinting at.

Very gently, more than Talida thought possible, Optimus spoke to Arcee, and delivered the news she didn't want to hear. "This is only temporary, Arcee. At least until we are able to tell what our enemy's intentions are with the children." He said firmly, watching as her anger faded, and he felt a pang of sadness from her end of the bond. "They will not be harmed under our watchful gaze."

Struggling not to let her emotions show, Arcee nodded silently, mumbling an apology before trudging over towards Jack, her pride bruised by the harsh reality of her bondmate's words.

However, Talida had problems of her own. She had seen the way the medic acted, and none of their time with him had been remotely pleasant. He yelled at the team, at Fowler, criticized Raf, Jack, and made Miko instantly dislike her, which earned him no points in _her _book. Miko's judgement was just as good, if not better when it came to her intuitions about people, and Talida could very well say that the Autobots were sentient, Arcee's episode with the acidic grape jam had proved that much to her, so they were people to her.

The Autobots weren't human, their Cybertronian origin proved that much, but they were still _people_.

Poor Talida was the charge of a cranky medic, and that was not something she looked forward to, though neither did Ratchet. "Optimus," he seemed to almost not believe his audio receptors. "This is important, else we encounter this goo on the battlefield, and it cripples one of you in a situation you cannot return to base so easily." He asked, though the Prime remained silent. "Do you not think that I could work instead of waiting for a Decepticon attack that will _not _occur?"

"That is enough." Optimus said finally, obvious irritated, though not for the reasons everyone thought. "You will watch over Talida tonight, for I do not believe that the Decepticons would pass up a chance to mount another attack if they believe us to be deceased."

Scowling, Ratchet found the several loopholes in Optimus' argument that he could have surely exploited, yet all it took was one, irked, but otherwise controlled look from his leader to become quiet once more. His optics looked at Talida expectantly, as if she held the answer to his dilemma, but she dared her gaze away, refusing to look at her newfound "protector" and his accusing stare. "Fine. When is your 'curfew' little one." The medic demanded, itching to just pluck her up and place her out of reach of the ground so that he did not have to worry about his latest project; it could always wait until later. Though it was highly likely that the Prime wouldn't put it past him, and that led Ratchet back to square one as he struggled to find a way to return to his work.

Talida shrugged. "Not for awhile. I'll let you know when, but I'm just going to work on some stuff for school… I guess." The lies sent burning, searing acid to flood her mouth and the back of her throat, but it was better to come to her foster home late, and leave early with minimal sleep if she didn't want to deal with her foster parents. She had enough of that on weekends when she was unable to sneak out and crash at Miko's host parent's house for most of the day before she turned into the tutor that kept her friend from failing.

Optimus and Ratchet both stared at her unconvinced, and she said the first thing that came to mind. "They don't really care all that much…" Her eyes widened, and she realized the gravity of her words, and her heart pounded a million miles an hour, the blood rushing through her ears. Why had she even said that? What was wrong with her these past few days? Why was she trusting these strangers, aliens, and mysterious "Cybertronians"? The answer evaded her, and the truth threatened to escape her lungs, clear as a singing bird on a spring morning.

_Oops_.

She was shocked when Optimus finally nodded, and turned slowly to walk away, heading down a hall and out of Talida's line of sight while Ratchet returned to his work with the microscope, and all his other fancy doo-dads, not too far from where she sat, curled up on the battered old couch. Sighing to herself, she pulled a sketchbook out of her messenger bag, a ruler, a regular pencil, and an assortment of fresh colored pencils before she began to draw, concentrating on the many shades of color as she added dashes of bright stains to the paper.

Slowly, after possibly half an hour of dedicated, hard work, she sifted through her brain and began writing abbreviations that would have seemed nonsensical and purposeless to any other viewer. Her large. brand-new, black Sharpie squeaked every few seconds as she pressed it to the paper and wrote in her stylish, yet smooth, curved writing, smiling as she thought of the perfect pictures to put in place of the colorful shapes and boxes.

Oh how she loved being the sole Editor for the Jasper High Yearbook. It wasn't a burden to her, or just something she could put on her college application to look good. To Talida Corrie Edmonds, being the head of the Yearbook staff was something that had no other competition as, quite possibly, the best thing in the Universe. Her smile was wide, and her one uncovered eye glimmered as she looked up at the lights on the ceiling of the giant command center.

Everything just seemed so surreal, so impossibly nice, and comfortable to her, even if was the HQ for a giant alien robot faction fighting their enemies in the name of humanity. It was all natural, welcoming, and even though her nightmare had been frightening, she felt alright, and very content with the way things were, even if they weren't going to be permanent. Either Agent Fowler would find them out, or the danger would pass and they would be returned home before any political concerns arose. However, Talida had an odd feeling that nothing would be the same again, and as much as that may have frightened someone else, she felt happy at the prospect of change, and giddy when she thought of college in a few years.

She'd have to get a job, obviously, but somehow, she'd make it as an artist, her dream job, with no trouble. Of course she found Civics, History, Politics and Philosophy incredibly interesting; what normal human being wouldn't? Though the arts; design, writing, singing, dancing, and everything else she had a burning passion for, were her calling, and it was purely as simple as that.

Sighing contently, she placed all her materials down on the cushion beside her and reached into the depths of her bag once again. She had been offered a position as the assistant coordinator for a large fashion show in Vegas about two weeks ago, working under the more experienced Melinda Florencia, the newest talk on the block of design. Her skills had made her the best of the best in incredible speed, and if she wanted to pursue a career in fashion design, then this was the way to go.

There was, unfortunately, a rather large problem with this request.

Despite the fact that she had been hand-picked by Miss Florencia, Talida's foster parents would forbid her from doing this, or take all of the money she earned and spend it on only the devil knew what they wasted their money on. It most certainly wasn't feeding her; that much was painfully obvious. She sighed once again, and willed away the tears that welled in her eyes, willing her emotions to slip away as they always did. The hair covering the side of her face really itched, and it took every ounce of her self-control to keep herself from using her fingers to sift through it and brush the soft, silky strands away.

A silent, but overpoweringly strong yawn escaped her, and she stretched her arms, blinking slowly while a silent tear managed to slip through her now closed eyelids. Obviously, she hadn't expected Ratchet to be watching, or even paying any attention to her at all, even with his new role as "guardian". When he spoke, she jumped, her heart rate skyrocketing, and she swore that it had missed a few vital beats. Her breathing lost its relaxed state, and she was instantly tensed up.

"It is almost midnight." He said, emotionless as he spoke to her, oddly neutral. "Would your creators not be worried if you were absent until early the next morning?" Talida almost facepalmed, remembering the bundle of lies she had fed the two mechs. How could she have forgotten, or let time slip away like that?

She nodded, simply deciding to play his game. "Yeah, I guess." _Not exactly convincing,_ she scolded herself. "Sorry, let the time slip away because I wasn't really paying attention to it." Alright, more believable, even if she was grasping at straws. The lying seemed to come somewhat naturally to her, even if she hated it and could let her honest habits break through if she was under pressure.

Ratchet nodded, seeming to accept her answer without much difficulty. "In any case, I doubt Optimus would be very happy if you slept your entire stay here tomorrow, once again." The medic said, and Talida's eyes widened at what he had said, attempting to control her heartbeat and put her papers away robotically. A few slipped, and she lunged for them instinctually, not wanting them to touch the floor. Her classmates weren't exactly the most considerate to her, considering that somehow, Sierra had managed to uncover that she was in the Foster System, despite her most desperate attempts to keep it hidden. After all, nobody would remember the fire unless someone decided to look into it, and see that her real family had perished.

Only the journalist crew was ever kind to her, and that was because she had worked to earn their respect, even if it wasn't their complete and undivided kindness. It was a start, she just had to work harder to create the best yearbook that Jasper High had- "Shall we depart now?" Ratchet said, once again, growing irritable with her. Talida nodded frantically, stuffing her belongings back in her backpack with disorder and chaos that she was sure to pay for later, but at the moment, she didn't care.

"Yeah, sure. I'm good to go." She lied, dreading the return to her Foster Home. She hurried over to the stairs nearby and slid down the railings with an incredible amount of practice and channeled skill, her feet planting themselves on the ground with a resounding _clap _that echoed in the otherwise silent base. Her face flushed a shade of lighter red, and she dared to look up at the medic's watching optics.

He observed her uncomfortable, shifting form for a short while before his armor and limbs folded in on one another at impossible angles that made her want to cringe as she watched the otherwise fascinating transformation. Everything had a place, and everything seemed to fold into its place in a quick, but organized, pattern until a semi-familiar ambulance sat before her, its passenger door popped open and its engine started. "And this is where we take our leave."

* * *

Ratchet was parked across the street, but thankfully on the other side of the house, the side she was sneaking into. Talida seriously doubted he would see her stealthy, and dead silent climbing up the walls of the house, through the small window she had in her room. Nonetheless, she was careful, sprinting towards the house and around the side until she spotted the stray board on the side that allowed her to climb into the hellish structure.

She was stuck there until her bonds were cut, and then she might be able to finally leave Jasper after years and years of living in a repetitive sadness. She climbed up extremely slowly, watching out for the boards that creaked until she reached the patio roof. Creeping across the roof tiles, she winced as one of them squeaked, freezing in her tracks for a good minute until she slowly made the last few steps to the small window she was barely able to squeeze through.

Talida tumbled into her room ungracefully, and landed on the soft bed with a muffled thunk, inaudible to her own sensitive ears. Relieved, she sunk her face into the somewhat soft pillow and breathed out deeply, letting loose every trace of carbon in her body with pure exhaustion.

She could worry, and fear about everything happening in her life another day. For the moment, she could rest, and finally let everything slip away as she was lost to sleep for the night. Tomorrow's concerns were for tomorrow, and today's were done and gone, at least for that night. She could only pray that the undiluted horrors of nightime's reach didn't creep up on her while she slept.

* * *

Optimus was lying flat out on his recharge berth, feeling restless and lonely. His bondmate was probably already recharging, she could stay deep in her programs through the loudest and most violent rainstorms in the desert as lighting flashed and thunder rumbled violently. Optimus, despite his strength as a leader, had grown used to having the royal blue femme in his arms as he recharged, allowing their bond to fully open, and every emotion, thought, and feeling were shared before they both slipped into the deep recesses of their programs.

He knew that he had allowed himself to grow extremely addicted to the feel of having his soul mate with him every night, and always being able to steal a kiss from her when the others weren't looking, or to sneakily run his servo up her thigh, only to watch her let a muffled squeak or squeal loose, trying to bat his grasp away before the others noticed his public affection. When Agent Fowler came over, he was at his worst, "accidentally" grabbing her aft, and digging his digits into where her winglets met in the uppermost area of her back he wasn't looking.

Arcee enjoyed these games, even if she would never admit it to anyone, him included.

Venting deeply, he attempted to reach through their bond and see if she was recharging, but the last Prime was startled when she instantly responded, and he felt her silent, but true apology, and a slight sliver of hope hidden amongst all of her shame. Guilt flooded him, and he felt inadequate almost instantly, knowing that he had been too harsh, even if she tried to console him.

Her spark was reaching out, pining for its other half, and he would be lying if he said that he hadn't missed her. He smiled to himself, and the limitless, strongest, and passionate love for her flooded his spark, and in turn, hers. Optimus missed her with every ounce of his being, even if she was only a few Earth miles away. Arcee responded in turn, though she couldn't prevent a pang of exhaustion to come through with her equally strong love. The Prime chuckled, soothing her softly, feeling her side of the bond shrink as she sunk into recharge, but it did not vanish completely. He would not leave his bonded, not until he was sure that she was safe.

He did not know how long he waited until his spark was consoled, and he felt forgiven enough to allow himself some recharge. It would not be much, though was that such a bad thing? Arcee understood, her spirits uplifted, and her recharge peaceful with her spark's worried dissolved, and as an added bonus, she was not upset, even if she did miss him as he did her.

"Goodnight, love." He murmured softly, knowing that one way or another, his words would be heard. "Sweet recharge to you." Satisfied, at least for the moment, his recharge programs cycled down and he shut his optics, the berth not feeling quite as empty as it had before. He would see her in the morning, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

_**I love me some bondmate fluff. :3 **_


	6. Chapter 7

_**Somebody explained the concept of silence being better than chatter to me.**_

**_I never said that I understood it though!_**

**_3luv4eva3_**

**Awesome chapter. I LOVE it when a favourite story of mine has been updated! Thanks for having a read of 'The Hidden Stalker', I am quite surprised that you took some time to read it, along with my other stories too. Flamewar's obsession to Arcee would have not been discovered if I never accidently stumbled upon the show. However, I don't believe it as an accident lol! I will need to update my other stories too. Stupid homework from stupid school.**

**Long story short, I can't wait to read more soon! Keep it up!**

_**You're totally welcome, because it was fun, and I enjoyed writing it!**_**_ And to quote own of my all time favorite TV show characters, Rule 39: "There is no such thing as coincidence."_**

**_Autobotlover56_**

**Plz update as soon as possible!**

**_I am most definitely easily distracted. Is there a condition for having a short attention span and losing concentration too easily?_**

_**haloangel21**_

**"I like the progress so far ;) That was a good chapter and the ending, my heart literally jumped out of my chest at the scene of Optimus talking over his bond with Arcee while she physically couldn't be there to snuggle with him.**

**Official writers for TFP, why couldn't you make OptimusxArcee a canon couple? They're true for each other! IDK, but it always upsets me when they did not even give them a moment in Predacons Rising.**

**Ah well, can't do anything about it... Anyways, keep up the good work! ;)"**

**_Thaaaanks! I had hoped it wasn't too stereotypical. I don't think a bond should be completely invasive, because it's something forged out of love. Love is intimate, yes, but it's also layered, and a bond should connect the two on a deep, emotional level, not just mentally. The processor does not speak for the spark, just as the mind does not speak for the soul._**

**_Don't worry, I'll go above and beyond expectations. I play Assassin's Creed, I'm sure I could intimidate them into making an alternate ending! XD _**

**_GO PRICEE._**

* * *

Its programing was _different_.

For whatever reason, it had a new purpose, a higher one rather than functioning as a tool or trinket at the medic's whim. It was suddenly aware of its existence, its functionality that went beyond being more than a simple tool, or something that was broken and fixed repeatedly. It had a mission, a purpose, even. A feeling of hatred and pure loathing that was not its own pulsed through its circuitry, and it vibrated angrily, shaking and grinding its metal gears with violence that it was not capable of.

Some greater power, some unfamiliar source or subjectively mythical power was fueling it, and feeding it with the desires of another being. Seek out the Prime! Its programming hissed, and it shuddered inwardly at the sound of the monstrous voice echoing in its processor. Seek them out, and end the lineage, once and for all.

Even with its newfound intelligence, the now sentient being crawled its way behind the monitors, the place it had last seen the Prime, not able to stop itself from bending to the will of its puppetmaster. Its optic glowed purple, and its metal legs chinked quickly as it rushed down the halls, following its instinct.

All it knew was to obey, and that was all it could do while at the whim of its new master. A brighter, but scarred spark was pulsing slowly in a room not too far from it, and from the measurements being obtained, the mech was cycling through his recharge programs.

_Hurry! He will soon awake, and my plans will have been foiled! I_ts dictator snarled, growing more and more impatient with every passing second. _The Prime lineage must be destroyed at all costs!_

If it could have, it would have rolled its single optic in its casing. The massive door was out of the question, but the vents above were a viable option, not too small, and there was an exit just above where the Prime's spark lay, dormant, but no less filled with the essence of Primus, and the Matrix of Leadership.

Bouncing off of one wall to another, it launched itself through the open vent with a sound that suspiciously sounded like a miniature "_Wheeeee_!" before it tumbled and crashed, banging against the metal around it. It did finally come to a halt, though it was some ways away from its intended destination.

Rolling over onto its peds, the possessed machinery scrambled towards the vent exit, hurring, for it knew that its time was short if the Prime was anything like his predecessors. It could see the soft light coming from his quarters, and it didn't think before throwing the latch open and leaping into the room, where it expected to puncture the spark casing of the Prime that undoubtedly rested on her berth below.

But when it landed, rather harshly, on the berth, and its legs gave out from underneath it, it was shocked to see that it had landed on an empty berth, limbs sprawled out as its processor glitched, not understanding. A single sound ended its train of thought, and not much time was given for it to whip its helm to the side and see the not so dormant Prime, and a blast of energon soaring towards it.

There was no time to think, react, or shriek, because the Prime had never missed his target, and he never would, and the minion of the greater master was smacked with the blast, and sent into the wall, its circuit boards and wiring completely fried. But it would not give up, it would not fail its master, else it face the ultimate-!

Those thoughts were the last from that former tool, for Optimus' ped crushed it under his immense weight, and it thought no more.

Said mech was hiding his slacked jaw behind a battle mask that had served him well for eons, staring at the dead lackey before him. There was only one thing that could have sent that doomed little trinket to its demise, and it was not something that Optimus wanted to hear about in the least.

He then realized that he had to touch the burned, crushed remains of whatever it had been in order to have Ratchet run a thorough analysis on what was left of his assailant. Perhaps he had gone a bit overboard in destroying what he had now labeled a possessed mini-con? After all, he lived by the knowledge that all sentient beings had the right to choose and live for themselves, yet he had destroyed something because it threatened him.

Though there was a part of him that was quickly growing to see the mini-con as anything but sentient.

If the purple in its optics meant what he feared, then Optimus would grow to have no problem off-lining a thousand of those to keep his loved ones safe. He could only hope that Ratchet would return soon, for there were some things that Optimus knew he could not do alone.

* * *

Optimus was surprised to see a lightly sleeping human femme on the couch once more, breathing deeply, and clutching at a pillow he knew that she had to have brought with her from her home. Ratchet, unfortunately, was oblivious to the fact that he had caused Talida to exhaust herself beyond what was statistically considered to be"normal" for a human teenager. He was swearing and searching his many tools for something specific, but when he saw the mangled, mutated, and utterly destroyed mini-con in Optimus' servos, he looked at his leader in horror.

There was no way Optimus tried to fix it, that much he knew. Not even Bulkhead had the ability to make his tool that much worse even if he tried to fix it. Whatever it was, it had been on the end of the Prime's violent behavior, for some reason Ratchet could not fathom. "What on Cybertron could have possessed you to do something like this to my tool?" He demanded, arms reached out as if he could pluck it from his leader's grasp and rescue the, now beyond repair, tool he had created. The medic's optics were wider than Optimus had believed to be possible, and he was expressing more emotion than he believed he had seen in a long while from his old friend.

Not even his temper spits were this frightening, and they could send him fleeing, even if it was in a diplomatic and professional matter, as his title of Prime required.

The Prime looked at the thing he cradled like an active bomb, and his optics narrowed. "It grew hostile, and attempted to offline me as I recharged." He said lowly, slightly surprised when Ratchet grew even more confused. "I feel that my actions were justified, and its demise was more than necessary." Perhaps that had been another bit of exaggeration on his part, though he would not admit that he had been only slightly afraid of it for a time. Not even to the oldest and best friend he most likely had left in the Universe.

There were somethings you just did not share.

"But the only thing that could have brought it to life, and in such a hostile manner, I might add…" Ratchet's calculating voice trailed off as he mumbled things not even Optimus could hear, though he was surprised when Ratched plucked the mini-con out of his servos and placed it in a container that he knew was linked to his monitors, along with countless other analytical tools that he couldn't be bothered to remember the names of.

"I have a grave suspicion, Ratchet." Optimus said lowly, knowing that his assumptions were most likely correct. His friend's sudden look of dread almost made him feel bad for sharing one of the horrors of his knowledge as a Prime. "Dark Energon."

* * *

"Off!"

"You know you like it."

"Stop it! If any of the others came over here, since we're not exactly in the most secluded place-"

"It is my base." He said, refusing to stop his antics. "And you are my femme. What are they going to say? I am their Prime, and your bondmate."

She groaned, burying her faceplate in shame. "You're so naive." She said critically. "Ratchet can't take this long to triangulate coordinates, can he?"

Optimus laughed, unable to resist inhaling her scent as he nuzzled her much smaller helm gently, "He can if there are many unstable areas near the site we must travel to. A GroundBridge could cause them to collapse."

"Ugh," she dared to peek at him."You're insufferable." She rolled her optics, laughing softly when he stole a quick kiss from her.

He was smiling down at her, optics sparkling, lacking in the disapproval she had thought for sure she would find upon her return. "I know. But you still love me, do you not, sweetspark?"

For a Prime, he certainly was a wonderful bondmate… "Of course I love you. Nobody else. Only you, Optimus." A large servo trailed down her back, and as she realized what he was going to do, she shrieked, but it was too late. "I already told you; servos off my aft!"

He silenced her with a longer, sweeter kiss, treasuring every astrosecond, and every sensation of it. "Love you more," he murmured, closing the distance between them once again, unable to resist the thrilling feeling of being close to her, especially if he had to depart without her in a few breems. "I missed you last lunar cycle. It is just not the same without my favorite femme in all of creation with me."

"Mmm… Sap." She said, though they both know she said it without any real conviction. "Overgrown mechling." He was unable to resist smiling as he captured her lips, refusing to let her break away once more. They only had so long, and Optimus knew that he would most likely be kept away from his beloved bondmate for some time if his greatest fears were indeed a reality. It was as if he had been cursed by fate itself, and his worries were always a reality.

His servos snatched her up, still on her aft, mind you, and forced her petite legs to wrap themselves around his warmed crotchplating while she tucked her own servos in the small crevice between his armor and his protoform, going for his spark lustily. Much to her dismay, he gently grasped her wrists, removing them from the rather sensitive area. "Not now, sweetspark." He berated her, smirking as she groaned in frustration, whining to him.

"Why not? You're the one getting both of us all stirred up, Prime." She purred, thoroughly disappointed in him. "Your drive must be screaming for some. I know you too well, Optimus." The blue femme smirked back at him, firmly pressing her lips against his, forgetting her previous protests.

Much to their mutual chagrin, Ratchet's unwelcome voice invaded their processors, having overridden the presently turned off comms. "I finished triangulating the coordinates, Optimus." He said shortly, not surprised when a rather startled Arcee squealed, losing her grip on her mate and hitting the floor with a shocked shriek. "I'm sorry to have interrupted your rather tender moment, but I'm afraid that we have a duty to ensure the future of the human race, and its freedom."

Her faceplates flushing a dark blue, Arcee groaned, burying her helm in her servos and shamefully hiding herself from Optimus's scrutinizing gaze. "Yes, of course Ratchet, we were on our way just now." He lied, pulling his bonded back to her peds with ease as he made his way towards the command center. "No need to worry."

With dangerous icy-blue optics, the femme snarled at Optimus as soon as Ratchet had stopped speaking, giving him a rather dangerous look, a silent threat in the air. "This is your fault!" She spat, striding out of his sight irritably, her crackling spark brought alive in fury. "Yes, femme, it's alright femme, we have time femme!" She muttered bitterly, feelings very sparkling-like as she fought to keep herself from throwing a temper tantrum. As much as she loved him, Optimus Prime was a downright pain in the aft sometimes…

* * *

While the big stupid mech prepared to depart for… wherever he were going, Arcee leaned against the wall in the command center, watching Jack and Talida. The two were relatively uninteresting, but a sleeping human, and a sitting human were more interesting than her infuriating bonded presently. The roar of two welcome engines filled her keen audio receptors, and she looked to the right, directly at the tunnel earnestly. Company was welcome, and much appreciated.

As the two vehicles, rather Bumblebee and Bulkhead, came to a halt before her, and the younger humans, Raf and Miko enthused about… something, the mechs transformed, although an odd noise came from within the green 'Bot, startling the three of them. "Uh-?" He said uncertainty, trailing off as he retrieved a black guitar case, and a slightly-sheepish Miko reached for it, somehow seeming indifferent, if not for her quick, ready apology.

"Sorry." She said, reaching for the instrument with both hands. "Must have left that in the back seat." Her moment of nonexistent mortification soon ended, as the most irritating mech's baritone caught the attention of all who were in the base, Jack and Talida among them. Her sleepy eyed gaze fell upon the Prime, even if he was otherwise unaware of her awakening.

"Autobots," He said regally, moving towards the groundbridge and past his soldiers as his heavy footsteps shook the ground. "Prepare to…" His glowing blue optics shifted to his daughter, and he paused in his stride, shuttering his optics as he silently scolded himself.

"Roll out?" Arcee offered, aching to punch a few dents into just about anything, Decepticons preferably.

He did not acknowledge her, instead lifting a servo to halt her before she began her advance. "Remain here." He said firmly, unaware of the boiling rage within her spark as it grew, and her fists silently clenched. "Ratchet, you'll come with me. Arcee, we'll be outside communications range for some time, so I'm putting you in charge." Optimus declared, earning a scoff from Miko as she looked up at her newfound guardian eagerly.

"Dude, you're biggest. You should be the boss."

"Um," Sheepishly, Bulkhead visibly winced to himself, cringing at her blunt opinion, deciding not to remark too specifically on her declaration. "He never picks me."

The already irked blue femme raised her voice slightly, her annoyance clear as she approached him. "Optimus, with all due respect, playing bodyguard is one thing. Babysitting's another." She looked up at him with pleading optics, servos out in the air helplessly. Jack sighed, shaking his head as he turned to Talida, who ignored him. She already knew Arcee hated humans, but she didn't have to make excuses for her boss. It was clear enough to all of them. "Besides, Ratchet hasn't been in the field since the war."

Already offended, the medic opted to protest, looking up from the console to do so. "My pistons may be rusty, but my hearing is sharp as ever." He reminded her, his raised voice laced with irritability.

Optimus wanted to scowl at the both of them knowing their reasoning to be sound, even if they were at one another's throats. "For the moment, it's only reconnaissance." He told her, feeling the anger leaching from her spark into his own as he began to regret his playful banter with her all the more. That had most certainly not been his wisest move in the last century, if it wasn't evident already.

"Then why do I hear an edge in your voice?" She demanded, tilting her helm up to keep her optics burning into his.

He returned her gaze, unwavering, even if he felt the need to fear for his life. She would make everything miserable for him if he did not answer with the reply she desired, even if they both knew he wouldn't. "Arcee, much has changed in the last 24 hours, and we all need to adapt." He said lowly. "Ratchet, bridge us out."

The medic turned to the console and powered the green fluxing vortex with ease, pulling the lever and moving to his leader's side apprehensively. The groundbridge hummed with live energy as the lifeblood of all cybertronians flowed through it; it was ready and waiting. The two mechs walked at a brisk pace into the tunnel, before their frames vanished in flashes of twisted white light, dissolving into the air as the bridge shut down automatically.

Arcee rolled her optics, and looked at Jack with a raised optic ridge. "Okay, Chief." He began awkwardly, clapping his hands together with wandering eyes, already bored. "So, uh, what's on the activities list?" The raven haired teen met his guardian's gaze, knowing that he had said the wrong thing as soon as she turned away.

"I'm going on patrol." The dark blue femme hissed, stalking out of the command center with a lot more then Optimus' mysterious mission racing through her processor.

But the diligent green mech protested, already disapproving of her actions. "But Optimus told us to stay!"

"When you're in charge, you can call the shots." Arcee looked up at him as menacingly as she could for a femme half his height, before looking at Bumblebee expectantly. "Bee, with me." She said, turning away from them all as the yellow mech feebly walked over, slouching as he whirred to himself sadly. "Bulkhead, you're in charge."

Without another word, the two most agile members of the team transformed, and sped out of the base as the green mech watched them leave, freezing briefly. "So, uh," Bulkhead looked back at the four humans. "What's on the activities list?"

Both Jack and Talida headed down the stairs, oblivious to Miko's plans until an ear-piercing electronic shriek echoed in the large room. All of them cringed, except for Miko, who was fiddling with her electric guitar amp. "How about… Band practice!" She suggested, her arms out wide with an innocent gaze as Talida's head throbbed painfully.

Oh how she wished her friend wouldn't take a shriek metal axe to her head, she was in enough pain as already. She tugged her ear and shook off the ringing she could still hear, moving to voice her objections, but she was cut off before she even began. "Miko, I don't -" low electrical guitar notes blasted through the speakers, and Talida instantly crushed her ears with the palms of her hands, squeezing her eyes shut and shrinking away from the source of the music.

However her efforts were fruitless, and the thrumming of the heavy vibrations rattled her skull violently, sending her into a world of pain like no other.

Maybe skipping town wasn't such a bad idea after all...

She had been abandoned and left to endure shriek metal with a searingly painful headache, and in any case, no noise was always better than any noise at all.


	7. AN Number 2

**Okay. **

**I owe all of you the biggest, fattest, juiciest apology I can possibly come up with. **

**I feel so bad about just leaving and not saying anything other than slapping a few chapters of The Conviction on here, which, may I just say, was out of desperation because I needed to put SOMETHING on here, even if its quality isn't exactly up to my usual standards, because let's face it - Chapter 2 was written like a freaking two year old typed up something awful and slapped it online. **

**I'm not even kidding, I literally feel horrible about myself right now, and I'm drowning myself in one of the most rage-inducing games, which is not helping me out too much, because now I'm just really angry with myself. **

**Thanks so much, all of you, for sticking around, even though you didn't actually have to.**


	8. Chapter 8

Onwards, to the review replies...!

3luv4eva3

Awesome chapter as always. Poor Talida having to put up with someone Miko. Haha! You have not meet me personally yet!

Totally agree with you, coincidence my ass!

Aw, thanks! I try... And I sincerely hope this is to your liking; Miko's guitar shredding is temporarily put on hold.

Haloangel21

We need more Pricee don't ya know haha xD Poor Bulkhead having to put up with the kids alone, specifically Miko. Aww. No wonder he hasn't suffered from her insane antics. I swear she has multiple personalities.

Looking forward to more

We all know he loves them deep down in that big softie spark of his.

Sort of.

Maybe just Miko,

A little bit.

A microscopic amount.

On a good day.

Plenty of Pricee here! BUY YOUR REAL FANGIRL PRICEE T-SHIRTS HERE! Sorry it took so long though... Feel bad about that. :(

IceGirl2772

Girl, keep them coming! You are writing this so well! Wonder how Arcee's gonna react to future events in the Darkness Rising five-parter...

PS: yes, it really is me. I just forgot to login

Arcee's got ton of good things, and... Other things headed her way.

Haha, never doubted you! Nobody can pull off a good impression of you. Your writing style (even if it isn't in a story) is too unique!

Autobotlover56

plz update soon

DONT HATE ME OH MY GOSH. IT'S BEEN SEVEN MONTHS I'M SORRY /3 I DID WHAT I COULD.

* * *

The already unbearable pain rattled her bones and split her cracked skull. Every bone within Talida's body was shaking as the vibrations tore through her, and she felt as if she would burst. The strong heart within her thrummed quickly, forcing her blood to race through her body violently, and the rhythmic beating flowed with the guitar music that made her pain much much worse.

All aspects of her scrambled to find some source of consolation, and her hands clenched into fists, grasping her hair desperately. As if things could not have resulted any poorer, an even louder, stronger pulse ripped through the mental defenses she had put up. Green light seared through her eyelids that were squeezed shut, but as soon as it had all started, the chaos ended, and her swift heartbeat slowed, even though panic briefly shot through her.

A large metal servo had scooped Talida up and placed her elsewhere, but it had taken her far too long to realize it. When her shoes had reached the ground, and she exhaled heavily, Jack, despite his rather scrawny build, pulled her towards him, and behind the mech's foot. The world spun around her, and her stomach threatened to expel its already minimal contents upon the floor, but she inwardly determined that she would be alright.

The base stopped spinning seconds later, and she sighed, looking at her three companions, not understanding. "Why are we-?"

"PRIME!" A furious man yelled, his already cheery personality identifying him as Special Agent Fowler, a real pain in the backsides of every Autobot and human he had come across. He was rude, judging the 'Bots without reasons, and lashing out at any and every Cybertronian he came into contact with.

It surprised the young designer that he had a job, what with his manner and whatnot. In her experience, cruelty was not a switch that could be flipped on and off, meaning that he either had connections that were miracles, or the U.S. government had made a rather large mistake.

She found herself hoping for the latter, even with the killer headache she possessed.

* * *

Her dedicated, sweeping strokes flew across the pages as pictures from within the deepest recesses of her mind were brought into reality, with several dresses, outfits, and other accessories were sketched out. The papers, though a mess in the eyes of any other, were neatly and cleverly arranged in such a way that would be apparent to any designer.

Talida was dying to sneak back into the school as soon as she could, for she desperately hoped that she could squeeze through the windows in the home-economics room for some late night stitching. But with Ratchet outside, and his stupid medic sensors, it would take a miracle if she was ever going to get her secondary line finished in time.

She sighed and threw her head back, hitting the the metal railing behind her but paying it no attention. A dull throb emitted in the back of her mind, and she turned to look at the scene behind her. Optimus Prime, despite his strongest reassurances, had been hurt fighting off what he had admitted was only a small portion of Megatron's plan. Fowler was still as unconscious as ever, though he occasionally burst into speech, the strangest things coming from his subconscious.

Perhaps she had been too harsh in her original assessment of the man.

After all, William Fowler had been loyal to the point where he was undoubtedly in pain, and though she had endured her fair portion of the world's cruelty, Talida winced at the mere idea of enduring the torture meant for durable, toughened, bitter, war-like robotic beings that could block out pain with a simple internal digital command. Her heart clenched when she looked back at Optimus, whose optics held an underlying story of pain throughout millennia, predating her mere existence by more time than humanity itself had been around.

Maybe she didn't truly understand these foreign beings, but she could always empathize, even if it was only in the smallest of ways. Her gaze fell on the femme-bot. Arcee, who almost looked forlorn, even though she had hidden any deep emotions in the furthest recesses of her spark. The blue femme seemed like she was fighting back something, though Talida couldn't be sure, and when the twenty-foot tall being glanced over at her, she quickly moved her gaze back to her drawings and sketches.

After the ground-bridge had closed, and the portal to the Darby home had been sealed, a sense of emptiness, something akin to what she felt after the deaths of both her partners, settled in her spark. It left a gaping hole in her soul, and though she knew it was undamaged, a lonely, high-pitched whine of discomfort echoed in her audio receptors, softer and weaker than it seemed.

Arcee felt as if all the optics and eyes in the room were boring into her processor, and tearing her thoughts apart. The tether that had kept her emotions in check was breaking, and she could feel it snapping apart faster than it had been woven together. It had taken years of effort from both Optimus and CliffJumper to heal her spark after the horrors she had endured, yet everything seemed to be unfolding, and her processor felt impossibly light as disorientation overtook her.

A pained look of distress appeared upon her faceplate, concerning her bondmate. Though as upset as she was, she did not uncross her arms, opting instead to tighten her grip on herself in something of a self-embrace. Optimus' baritone dripped from his perfect voice box, but it was nothing more than a distant echo. Nothing was making any sense, let alone connecting in her processor.

A servo rested itself on her shoulder, and she just about jumped out of her protoform, whirling around to face her would-be-assailant. "Cee, are you alright?" Bulkhead asked, a quizzical look enveloping his usual serious expression.

She nodded slowly, not trusting her voice box to refrain from shattering, or to give away any other emotions she was trying to hide; there were so many of them, and she had so little strength left. "Bulkhead." Optimus' commanding voice rung in their audio receptors, snapping the mech to some sort of attention, his posture respectful. "It is indeed late. Perhaps the children should embark for their homes in order to rest?"

Thought it had been phrased and spoken like a suggestion, it had the underlying urgency of a command, which had been intentional. He nodded, and the three mechs, surprisingly with no complaints on Ratchet's end, scooped up their charges, each of them taking their leave. It was obvious that the two bondmates needed to discuss something.

What their Prime wanted, he received.

"Sweetspark?" He tentatively reached out and stroked her faceplate, feeling the torturous turbulence within that she could not hide from him. Sad, tortured optics looked up and she fought back tears. "Are you alright?"

She stepped away, and kept wrapped her arms around herself in a weak self-embrace. "I don't know." The femme lied, shutting her optics and clenching her servos into tight fists, untamed emotions running rampant within her spark. She hated being out of control; it was why she demanded complete and total control of herself in combat, on patrols, when scouting ahead, and in situation such as this one.

Optimus vented, shaking his helm, attempting to understand his bonded fruitlessly. "Arcee, you cannot hold yourself responsible for the actions of others. The decision to not request backup was CliffJumper's. It is not as if you had any say in his actions!" He said firmly,

She vented deeply, spark aching, no longer attempting to comfort herself. "I could have tried harder to save him! I could have told him to wait; convinced him that he needed my help, or at least my company!"

His regal blue optics were stone cold, seeming angry almost, yet she desperately searched him for any signs of him surrendering in this interrogation. "You could have done nothing. The Decepticons would have slaughtered you, and then him, and I would have lost my bondmate and my soldier."

"I could have at least tried, Optimus!" She spat, tears that she could not fight flooding to the surface. "I could have tried to do something, even if nothing came of it." The femme felt herself weakening, and squeezed her optics shut in effort to at least somewhat pull her emotions together.

He remained silent as a slow realization was cast upon him. "This is not about CliffJumper… Is it?" The Prime asked knowingly, intaking the cool oxygen slowly, and releasing it equally as tersely.

His bonded shook and trembled, feeling the horror of the last few days beginning to settle, and stood before him in devastation. "No." She admitted, moving from him and gritting her denta as she backed away, forcing her tears away. The blue femme tore her servos violently across her faceplate, but she was stopped by her mate, her lover, whose optics pleaded with her as he kneeled before her, clasping her violently shaking servos. He held them in his steady, warm ones, looking at her with adoration that made her spark melt guiltily.

"Beloved, do not burden yourself! Let me help you," he implored her, feeling his own spark clench in writhing agony at her burdening pain. "Please, love. You cannot continue to endure this, not as long as I am online and functioning."

"Optimus, there's only so much you can do." She protested weakly. "You have obligations to the faction, to the Matrix, to-"

She was cut off when he smothered her quivering lips with his own, dipping her helm back as several tears slipped past her closed optics, touching his faceplate. The cooled energon splattered to the ground meaninglessly, and she whimpered, molding his tender kiss into something fiery. Her spark crackled aggressively; she felt terrible, and as a result, her subconscious was pushing for as much closeness as physically possible between her and Optimus.

He reluctantly broke away, even if it was hardly at all, allowing her already working cooling systems to catch a break. "I have a responsibility to you, above all other things. You are my bonded, my other half, my soul mate, my femme, my second in command, and the only reason I fight at all." She shook her helm, digging her unsteady digits into the back of his neck and bringing herself as close as she could on her own.

"Your pain…" he began, squeezing his optics shut and moving his helm to whisper in her audio receptors lowly. "It is agonizing torture to me, Arcee." He said, not allowing her to respond. He lustily stole her away again, and she trembled as he lifted her off the ground, digits resting on her thighs, gripping her tightly. She would not escape him once again. "Tell me, Sweetspark, Please tell me."

She bit her lower lip tentatively, internally warring with herself, a feeling of self disgust emerging. How could she be so selfish as to almost allow Optimus to carry yet another one of her burdens? "I can't," she insisted; her venting halted abruptly. Arcee shied away, shaking her helm repeatedly, and trying to wriggle out of his embrace. "You don't- I can't- She's not- Mmmmm!" The fighting femme could not speak; she would not speak while her mate kissed her.

He was intoxicating, addictive, loving, tender, and perfect in her optics. How could anyone have given her Optimus Prime? She most certainly felt unworthy, and undeserving in all reality. "Talida?" He finally pressed, having sifted through her wall of emotions to uncover the source of all her emotional turbulence, and she nodded insistently, unwilling to continue fighting him any longer.

"It's just been too long since we let her go. I never thought we would see her again." She nodded pecking him briefly, to hopefully distract him. "It's nothing though, I'm… fine." The femme lied, blinking away the roaring wave of fear rampaging through her spark as she remember exactly how they had lost their daughter. "She's safer now, right?"

Her worry, though not-unreasonable, set free a long contained worry within him, and he vented, kissing her back for some form of consolation. "She is. But I want her back with us as much as you do, love. Do not doubt that."

She knew him well. "But-?"

Too well. "But the war was, and is still not a proper scene for raising and nurturing any youngling of ours." he reminded her. crushing both of their hopes, even if he wanted anything but to remind himself of the bitter truth. "She may be in this endless conflict as of right now, but she is safer when all are oblivious to the wonderful truth. She is our creation, our daughter, our Talida… but she cannot be with us as such a person."

"I know."

Optimus vented, nuzzling his bondmate softly, something of a sly grin upon his faceplate. "Sweetspark?"

She leaned her helm towards his warmth, enjoying every moment of close contact from the Prime. "Yes?" He nipped at her wiring, and her optics shot open briefly until they closed in utter bliss once more. "Care to finish the job?" She mused aloud, sounding just as tired and strained as she felt. "You never did seal the deal this morning."

A deep, throaty chuckle had her shiver despite his abundant warmth, and he growled at her while his servos went back for her aft once more. "Berth, femme." She squeaked, moving in his strong arms as he lifted her, surprised.

"No, Optimus, wait! I didn't mean-!" He cut her off with knowing lusty dark blue optics, and she shook her helm, rolling her own optics with an irritated look. "Fine. I did-!" Arcee shrieked, realizing that she was nowhere near the ground. "I'm not some fragging play-thing, Optimus!"

Ignoring her, he purred, the sound alone making her shiver violently as they ventured down the hall, her squeaks muffled by his demanding kisses, and the two ducked into their shared quarters, not to be seen again for some while.


End file.
